THE redevelopment of Brioude Garden outside Cardigan Castle has been slammed by the town’s mayor.

Cllr John Adams-Lewis said he was disappointed at the lack of consultation in carrying out the £20K revamp and accused the castle trustees of acting as ‘bully boys’ in pushing through the plans and not consulting over the changes.

“I heard while I was in Buenos Aries that the work had been carried out. It’s bully boy tactics and shows no respect and feeling towards the Brioude gardens,” said Cllr Adams-Lewis at a meeting of the town council.

“I cannot be happy with the changes. It was an insensitive action, done without discussion with Llwyd Edwards’ family who designed the garden to be a quiet, respectful place to relax.

“Now it is just a space – it does not feel like a garden any more - and it is terrible that this has been done. I feel we should write to the trustees noting our distress and how unhappy we are at the way we have been treated.

“We only saw the plans a couple of weeks ago and it has been done without consultation. That there is a real eyesore.

“If another project is undertaken at the castle, I will not support them.”

Cllr Catrin Miles said benches and planters would be going into the garden but admitted there seemed to have been a breakdown in communications.

“It is a sensitive matter. We were depending on messages going back and forth but they did not on this occasion,” said Cllr Miles.

“It has been done now and we have to draw a line under it but ensure something similar does not happen in the future. The garden is part of the town used by the public and we don’t want to see that it’s an area they feel they cannot use.”

Cllr Shan Williams said: “Cardigan is a small town and if the castle cannot work with the town council and Brioude committee, it’s a very sad situation.

“They should make more of an effort to work with us. Things have not always been good between the castle and other people in the town and that needs to stop and there’s a need for better relations.”

A spokesman for the castle said: "Cardigan Castle has recently undertaken works to improve accessibility and the aesthetic appeal of Brioude Gardens for the benefit of the local community and visitors.

"The work is the result of feedback gathered from discussions held with various parties including users and volunteers. This included an article in the Tivyside printed earlier this year seeking public input.

"The gardens have been maintained by castle volunteers on behalf of Ceredigion County Council for a number of years. The improvements made will also aid the volunteers in maintaining the space.

"We have already received a considerable amount of positive feedback regarding the gardens and will allow the people of Cardigan to formulate their own opinions on the site."